"Any and all information contained within
the COACHING MANUAL, as well as any information and/or rules distributed
verbally or by written flyer, is subject to change, alteration or deletion by
the Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association Executive Board at any time, with
or without notice."

This
Manual is for the use of Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Associationís clubs,
coaches, referees, players and/or parents.†
It may be reproduced for distribution.

INTRODUCTION

Modification
of FIFA Rules

The Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association
COACHING MANUAL is intended to provide information and guidance for club
coaches and administrators.† The
information contained herein recaps the rules under which we play soccer
matches in this league.† Each item of
information is a rule, or group of rules, but this COACHING MANUAL is not the
GAASA Rule Book.† The wording used here
is not always the precise wording of the applicable rule as it appears in the
FIFA Laws of the Game, USSF Administrative Handbook, Ohio Youth Soccer-North
Constitution and Rules, Ohio Soccer North Constitution and Rules, and/or the
GAASA Constitution, Bylaws and Resolutions.†
It is that wording and intent (of the actual rules) which has legal
force in matters of dispute.†
Furthermore, all information and rules in the COACHING MANUAL are
subject to change without notice.

The Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association
(GAASA) plays matches under the rules of FIFA, the international governing
body.† The first rule in the FIFA
rulebook allows modification of the Laws of the Game for various age groups and
to suit local conditions.† GAASA has
chosen to modify many rules of the game, as outlined in this publication, to
suit women's play and play for both younger and older players.† Only the rules so modified and published may
be changed.

The Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association is
affiliated in good standing with the Ohio Youth Soccer Association--North
(OYSA-N), and with the Ohio Soccer Assn.--North (OSA-N), the seniorís
body.† OYSA-N is affiliated with the
United States Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) and through it, with USSoccer
(the USSF), the governing body in North America.† OSA-N is directly affiliated with USSoccer.† It is the duty and obligation of each member
club in this league to follow the rules which will preserve the good standing
of GAASA with OYSA-N and OSA-N, and with USSoccer, so that all teams and
players in our league will have the right to play in all sanctioned events.

GREATER AKRON DIVISIONS

Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association has
many divisions available for teams at all levels of ability.† For adults, there is a women's division with
two levels, open men, and 2-3 levels of senior men.† For youth teams, there are competitive divisions (Classic 1-2-3,
etc.)† Youth girls may play on youth
boyís teams.† However, the girl to boy
ration may not exceed 50% of the total players on the team.† In the event of an uneven number of players,
the ratio is rounded down for the number of girls on the team.† This team is considered a youth boys
team.† Youth girls may play on youth
girls-only team and this is considered a girlís team.† Youth boys may only play on a youth boyís team.†

Each classic division is treated
separately.† All Youth Competitive
(Classic) Divisions have playoffs for at least the top four per division.

Each level of play offered increases in
difficulty, and/or the level of skill of the players.† For example, Classic 1 is the top division, the teams are highly
competitive and the players relatively skilled.† Classic 2 is still very competitive, but the players are not as
experienced or skilled. Classic 3 has some skilled players but most are
beginners.

GAASA very carefully examines your request to
place a team in a given division, based on your own estimate of the team's
ability and our past experience with the team and/or coach.† GAASA has the final say on which division a
team is placed in, and reserves the right to move any team up or down in order
to balance the level of play and number of teams in each division.† In general, such factors as past experience
with the team or coach, the number of players from which a club draws its
teams, the number and ages of the players on the team, and other things which
influence the competitiveness of a team are considered by the GAASA Board in
placing your team in a division.† The
decision of the GAASA Board in placing your team is final and may not be
appealed or challenged.

Only teams that play in Classic Divisions are
eligible for the Ohio Youth Soccer Association--North State Cup Tournament,
and/or for travel permits to tournaments held outside OYSA-N jurisdiction.† If interested, please contact GAASA for an
opinion and help in entering.† GAASA
conducts Playoffs for Classic Divisions at the end of each season.

Please note that GAASA is permitted to make
rules governing its age groups, divisions and team eligibility, which may
differ substantially from those of either Ohio-North (the seniors body) or
OYSA-North, the youth State Association.†
Most of these differences govern levels of play and player movement
between teams.† Before sending money or
entering any tournament, you should consult GAASA to make sure your team would
be considered eligible.

LIST OF DIVISIONS OFFERED BY GAASA

ADULT PLAYERS

OPEN MEN††† ††††††††††††††††††††††† ††††††††††† ANY AGE

OPEN WOMEN†††††††† ††††††††††† ††††††††††† ANY
AGE

SENIOR WOMEN†††††††† ††††††††††† ††††††††††† 30
as of season start*

SENIOR WOMEN Over 40†††††††††† ††††††††††† 30 as of
season start

SENIOR MEN I (very competitive) ††††††††††† 30 as of season start

SENIOR MEN II (competitive)††††††††††† 30 as of season start

SENIOR MEN III (recreational)††††††††††† 30 as of season start

SENIOR MEN Over 40†††††††††† ††††††††††† 40 as of
season start**

*Exception:†
Womenís Over 30 teams are allowed up to 4 players 25 or older

**Exception: No new players can added to an over
40 Senior Men team that are less than 40 years of age.

∑Age groups may be combined in the event of an
insufficient number of teams per age group.

∑Based on the number of teams registered, as many
as 4 divisions per age group, per gender may be created.

COACHING RESPONSIBILITIES

(Alphabetical order)

CLUB
LINESMEN

GAASA furnishes a 3-man referee system only for
selected divisions and playoffs.† Each
team for all other games must supply volunteer club linesmen, unless the
referee indicates he prefers to work without any linesmen.† This choice is at the discretion of the
referee alone.

Each team should be prepared to furnish a mature
individual who is able to keep up with play.†

Club linesmen will assist the referee by
indicating when the entire ball is over the entire touch line (sideline), and
will have no other duties including indicating the direction of the throw,
unless previously instructed by the referee.†
The judgment of the club linesman on any matter, including whether the
ball is over the touchline, may be overruled at any time by the referee, but
any spectator, player or coach may not challenge it.

Coaching, or shouting instructions or
encouragement, at any time, by the club linesmen is strictly prohibited.† No one is permitted to coach outside the
coaching box that extends 10 yards in either direction from the centerline.

CONDUCT

Coaches are responsible for the behavior of the
players, spectators, and themselves.†
Each coach is responsible for the conduct of every person, including
guests on their side of the field.† A
coach is recognized by GAASA as a participant in the match and may receive
yellow and red cards from the referee.†
The referee is not required to warn coaches before issuing either yellow
or red cards.

Coaching is restricted to the team area only,
which should be marked by the home team during field preparation, and which
extends 10 yards to either side of the of the mid-field line.

No person may move up and down the length of the
touchline for the purpose of coaching, instructing players or shouting
encouragement.

Except for the referee(s) and players in a game,
no other person is allowed on the field unless, and until, authorized by the
referee.

Spectators, coaches and substitute players are
required to remain at least 5 feet back from the touchline on their side of the
field to allow the linesman a clear view down the field.

Fighting by any persons, either in the game or
on the sidelines, and/or loud verbal abuse or physical/verbal assault of the
referee, shall be grounds to immediately suspend the match if the referee
chooses.† Such a decision is that of the
referee alone.† The coach will be held
responsible by the league.† The league
also has the right to begin disciplinary proceedings in the event league
officers witness such actions, even when the referee does not choose to take
action.† If a referee suspends play, or
if a match is interrupted for any reason, the outcome of suspended matches will
be decided solely by GAASA disciplinary committee based on the referee's report
and game reports.

Poor conduct by a team, leading to suspension of
a match, will be grounds for forfeiting a match by a score of 0-6 (or the score
at the time of suspension) at a minimum, and GAASA has the right to impose
harsher penalties.

FAILURE
TO REPORT TO A GAME

Failure of a team to show up (field a minimum of
7 players for U12 teams and up or a minimum of 6 players for U9, U10, U11
teams, one of whom must play as a goalkeeper) at a scheduled or rescheduled
game by the expiration of the 15-minute grace period will result in the no-show
team forfeiting by a score of 0-6 and paying the total referee fee.† These games will not be rescheduled.† The commissioner must be notified and a Game
Report submitted to GAASA by the team that does appear.

FIELD
PREPARATION

It is the responsibility of the HOME TEAM to
have the field in proper condition for regular season and post-season
games.† The field must be properly
marked to the satisfaction of the referee.†
This includes nets.† In the
absence of nets or a properly prepared field, the referee has the right to
suspend the game with the home team forfeiting by a score of 0-6.

Plastic traffic cones, regulation corner flags
(on posts with a minimum height of 5 feet, with rounded tops), or spring loaded
corner flags must be positioned at the corners of the field for games.† Corner arcs must be marked.

It is the responsibility of the VISITING TEAM to
arrive on time at the field, early enough to allow the referee to check in the
players before the scheduled start of the game.† GAASA allows a 15-minute grace period only to allow teams to
correct field preparation problems and for late arrival of teams and officials.

The Home team coach/players will choose their
side of the field; the Opposing team coach/players will take the same side of
the field as the home team coach/players (tournament format).† All parents are to take the opposite side of
the field from the players.†

The referee shall decide the playability of a
field due to weather conditions or line marking only.

FORFEITS

A team which has forfeited three (3) games in
any given season, will, upon the fourth forfeit, loose their club bond and the
coach of said team will be suspended for a minimum of one year (12 months) per
team occurrence effective with the date of the letter of suspension. Forfeits
are by a score of 0-6.

Any club, which has a team suspended after
registration, forfeits its bond money, and must bring its bond account back to
current requirements at the next registration.

In the opinion of the Executive Board, any team
that forfeits any of its last three games, or commits any other action prior to
the Playoffs, in order to gain a competitive advantage, automatically forfeits
its right to compete in the Playoffs for that season.

GAME
REPORTS

It is the responsibility of the coach to
complete the GAASA Game Report, and submit it in a timely fashion, for all
exceptional situations, good or bad.†
Game reports should be submitted for referee no-shows if you expect a
refund or payment to a volunteer referee.†
This Game Report Form is located on the www.gaasa.org
website.† See the appeals and protests
policy as outlined.

GAME
ROSTERS AND PASSES

Each coach must be ready to present the referee
with the official G.A.A.S.A. GAME ROSTER and validated player passes for each
player planning to participate in the match.†
Each coach must co-operate with the referee at player check-in, and have
the team ready to check-in whenever the referee desires.† The referee will keep each team's passes and
game roster, and will return the passes at the conclusion of the game.† At least one validated coach pass is
REQUIRED for each team.

The referee is responsible for starting each
match as close to the scheduled time as possible.

After the game is over, please remember to
secure the passes back from the referee and check them carefully to make sure
all passes are returned.†

Passes of players/coaches (anyone receiving a
Red Card or sent off) will be retained by the referee for review and
disciplinary action by GAASA.† Coaches
will be notified as to the disposition of the pass as well as when and how it
will be returned by GAASA.† Generally,
yellow and red cards will be shown when given, but it is not necessary for the
referee to show a yellow or red card, or to verbally warn any person before
taking stronger action, or to directly notify any person that he has been sent
off from a match.† It is not necessary
for the referee to obtain or retain the passes of sent off players in order for
disciplinary action to proceed.† Upon
written notification through a game report that a person has been sent off by
the referee, disciplinary action will proceed.†
If you have questions about red cards or disciplinary action, contact
the Youth or Senior Vice President immediately.† The Executive Vice President of GAASA heads the disciplinary
committee.

INTER-DIVISION
PLAY

"Playing
Up"

It is permissible in any Youth Division for a
maximum of three "guest" players from a younger team to move up to a
higher age division for any one game.†
This is called "playing up", and any younger player can
"play up" a maximum of three games per season, but older players may
never play down and same-age players may not cross divisions (for example, a
U10 Classic 3 player may play U11 Classic 1, 2, 3; a U10 Classic 2 player may
play U11 Classic 2 or 1 only; a U10 Classic 1 player may play U11 Classic 1
only.)† All players must come from
within the same club.†† Playing up is
not permitted in the Playoffs...teams must play with their registered league
rosters in Playoffs.† Once a guest
player has played the fourth game (up), the participation automatically makes
that player a member of the older team (by an involuntary transfer). This counts
against the total transfer count for the team during the seasonal year.

Only U-9ís may cross divisions.

LINES
OF COMMUNICATION

During the season, it is important that coaches,
parents and club officials honor the lines of communication established by the
GAASA Executive Board for efficient handling of concerns.

Disciplinary problems will always be handled
between the person being disciplined and the Executive Vice President of
GAASA.† The Executive Vice President may
notify the Club Representative and/or Club President at the discretion of the
Disciplinary Committee.

PLAYER
PASSES

ALL PLAYERS MUST HAVE A VALID PLAYER PASS to
play in any match during the regular season or a post-season game.† To get a valid player pass, all players and
coaches must be properly registered with their club, GAASA, the state
association and the national association by following our standard registration
procedures and paying their fees.† All
coaches must have a valid coach pass in addition to completing a Coach
Registration Form and a Kidís Safe Form.†
Both the Coach Registration Form and the Kidís Safe Form must be filed
with OYSA-N prior to coaching a game.

Player and coach registration is the act of
signing up to participate and paying fees to a member club of GAASA.† Team registration is the act of turning in Team
Registration Forms and Waivers, Team Rosters, and paying fees to GAASA each
fall or spring at GAASA registration.†
Player and coach rostering is the act of placing a player or coach on a
specific team.

Team registration can only occur at GAASA registration--no
late registration of teams is permitted.†
After GAASA registration, late registration of any player must be
performed by the GAASA Registrar ONLY, and must be accomplished by mail.† Mail the new player pass, proof of age
(birth certificate or other, if required), proper registration form for new
players, and the officially stamped (pink) copy of the team roster to the GAASA
Registrar.† Fees must be enclosed.† The player's pass cannot be validated if any
of the required material is missing.

PLAYERS REGISTER once a year, with initial
registration in the fall season.† New
player passes are required of ALL youth players each fall, or for new players
in the spring.† New players in the
spring are defined as those who did not play on a carded (USSF/USYSA-affiliated)
team in the fall.† Players belong to one
team for the full seasonal year, which is defined as both the fall and spring
seasons, and may be transferred only by following state and/or national rules.† A player's date of rostering with a team is
defined by national rule as the date on which he plays his first match with
that team.

TEAMS ARE REQUIRED by GAASA to register each
time for both fall and spring seasons.†
Coaches register with teams and must be updated immediately if changed
at any time.

PLAYOFF
BOND FORFEITURE

Participating in the Playoffs is an obligation
of belonging to GAASA.† Nevertheless,
the league recognizes the right of teams to also participate in other
tournaments.

A team may forfeit its right to participate in
GAASA Playoffs (in which event the next qualified team will take its place) so
long as the GAASA Board Member is notified in writing at least two (2) weeks in
advance.† Any team that qualifies for
the Playoffs that does not take part nor notify a GAASA Board Member at least
two (2) weeks in advance will cause its club to forfeit its total bond, and the
bond must be brought back to current requirements at the next registration.

REFEREE
AUTHORITY

Every referee, including volunteers in no-show
cases, has complete and total authority for the conduct of the match and to
enforce discipline from the moment he arrives at the field until he
leaves.† This includes all pre-game and
post-game activities.

The authority and judgment of a referee shall
not be challenged, nor may his judgment be appealed.

REFEREE
NO-SHOWS

The referee has 15 minutes after the start of
the game time to show up to the field of play.†
Both teams must remain at the field during this 15-minute grace period.

At the Classic and Open levels, all teams should
play with a registered referee assigned by GAASA.† If a referee fails to show:

∑A reschedule will be generated if the teams
contact the division commissioner and file a game report, or

∑If the two head coaches agree to play a match at
which the assigned referee does not show up, all effort must be made to use a
registered referee, a trained referee or a mature former player.† In such cases, both head coaches must agree
to the volunteer in advance. If the head coaches agree to use a volunteer
official, the final score of said match must be reported and will be considered
valid and recorded by the league to determine standings for playoffs.† In the event that a volunteer is used to
referee a game, the volunteer is to collect both game reports; complete with his/her
name, address, and social security number, and mail to the PO Box address as
directed on the game report.† This
volunteer will be reimbursed for travel expenses.

∑In no case may a scrimmage match be played.

∑The HOME TEAM must report all referee no-shows
to their Division Commissioner, whether the game is played or not.† The Commissioner will report all referee
no-shows to the Administrative Assistant, Jeff Blazeff at 330-773-4634.†

∑In addition, a Game Report showing the referee
no-show and whether the game was played must be filed in writing with GAASA at
P.O. Box 1512, Akron, OH 44309-1512.† A
copy of this form is also located on www.gaasa.org
that can be submitted from the website.

REPORTING
SCORES

All scores are to be called into the Divisional
Commissioner assigned to your level of play.†
A club official may report scores, but someone, physically at the game,
must report any other matters.† Scores
must be reported for all games played within 48 hours of the conclusion of the
match, or the score will automatically revert to a 0-0 tie.† In any event, all scores for the preceding
week must be reported to the commissioner no later than 8:00 p.m. Sunday night
so the commissioner can report it to the Executive Administrator by the
deadline.† The winning team is
responsible for reporting the score to the Commissioner.† In case of a tie, the Home team is
responsible.† Reporting scores is an
obligation of the team coach.†

ROSTER

Players may be registered and added to a team's
roster up through the deadline set and announced each season by the Executive
Board.† A team may never exceed the
maximum number of players on its roster.

The roster limit to register teams for Youth
Division U9, U10 and U11 is as follows:

Minimum: 8 players

Maximum: 14 players

The roster limit to register teams for Youth
Division U12 to U18 is as follows:

Minimum: 11 players

Maximum: 18 players

The roster limit to register teams for Senior
Division is as follows:

Minimum: 11 players

Maximum: 22 players

PLAYERS CAN BE ROSTERED ON ONLY ONE GREATER
AKRON TEAM AT A TIME PER SEASON.

An accurate listing of names and addresses of
all coaches (head coach and up to 2 alternates) must be registered and updated
throughout the season as needed.

RUNNING
UP SCORES

Soccer is a game.† It is intended to be fun for all participants, not just the
winning team.† Without a worthy
opponent, no purpose is served in playing any competitive game; running up a
score either by accident or to embarrass an opponent, is pointless.

Greater Akron enforces a 6-goal maximum margin
of victory policy.† No matter what the
actual score, no more than a 6-goal margin will be recorded or published.† Both the actual score and the 6-goal scores
are to be reported to the Divisional Commissioner in order to enforce GAASA's
disciplinary policy.† Since forfeits are
by a minimum score (0-4), no competitive advantage is gained by winning by more
than a 4-0 count.

The following rule will apply for all youth
division of U14 and under.

∑A win by a
margin of 6 goals is acceptable to GAASA, with the 6-goal differential being
recorded, or published.†

∑A win by a
margin of 7 or 8 goals will count as only 1 point, rather than 3 points for the
win, with only a 6-goal differential being recorded and published.†

∑A win by a
margin of 9 goals or greater will result in a forfeit of the match by a 0 Ė 6
score, as well as the loss of the clubís bond.†

∑The club
bond must be replenished within 5 days from the time the club is notified.† Failure to replenish the club bond within
the 5 days will result in all scheduled games, of all teams, within said club,
being recorded as a forfeit from the time of notification until such time as
the club bond is replenished.

∑Any
own-goals scored by either team to circumvent these rules, will result in a
forfeit.†

Coaches abusing the
intent of these rules will be subject to suspension.

Greater
Akron Amateur Soccer Association tries to ensure that teams are put in the
correct division at the time of registration.†
However, it may appear that a team is in the wrong division due to
players being dropped from a team or new players being added to a team after
the original registration date.† This is
no excuse for teams who consistently run up the score on their opponent and GAASA
will no longer tolerate this action.

TRANSFERS

No more than 4 players can be replaced on a team
roster from fall to spring, from one club to another, but new players can
always be added to the spring team roster up to the roster limit.† Replacing registered players with new
players is known as making a transfer.†
Moving a registered player from one team to another within the same club
is also a transfer but has no limit in GAASA.

OYSA-N AND USYSA LIMIT THE NUMBER OF YOUTH
TRANSFERS TO THREE PER TEAM IN ONE SEASONAL YEAR (from fall season to spring
season).† GAASA allows up to four per
roster movement from outside the club.†
The effect of this difference is that a team may be legal for GAASA
play, but illegal for State Cup/Tournament/National events.† Consult the GAASA board before sending money
to enter any tournament if you have questions about this rule.

*****

IN
ALL OTHER MATTERS:

1 -- All communications should be presented ONLY
to the Divisional Commissioner for your division.

2 -- The Commissioner will then contact the
Youth VP or the Senior VP as appropriate for your division.

3 -- The VP will then contact the appropriate
person to resolve the problem or question at hand.

4 -- The communication/response will then be
passed back down to you through the Commissioner so that everyone knows and is
informed about the outcome/answer.

5 -- In the event this procedure is followed
without receiving a response within two weeks, you should write the GASSA Board
a complete report and mail it to: P.O. Box 1512, Akron, OH 44309-1512.† Please do not call board members.

POLICY
ON FAIR PLAY, SPORTMANSHIP AND REFEREE ABUSE/DISRESPECT

This policy adopted to assure all persons
involved in GAASA soccer matches understand the manner in which the league will
address such incidents, and understand that their participation in the league
subjects them to the rules contained in the policy.† By taking these steps, we are not trying to find ways to punish
the great people involved in our soccer programs, we are simply trying to
maintain the sense of fair play that has always been present in our games.

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is defined by GAASA as unwelcome
touching, striking or the verbal threat to do so.† The league will not tolerate this conduct.† Any physical abuse of a referee by any
coach, player or spectator, or by a referee against any coach, player or
spectator, whether occurring preceding, during or following a game, will result
in an immediate ban of the offending person from future GAASA games and the incident
will be referred to Ohio Youth Soccer Association-North for consideration of
further disciplinary action.

Verbal Abuse

Verbal abuse is defined by GAASA as a verbal
attack of a sustained, excessive, obscene or offensive nature.† It is not intended to include mere dialogue
or questions by or among coaches and/or referees.

Spectators:

Upon any initial incident of verbal abuse
directed toward a referee, any player, any coach or any other spectator, the
referee will stop the match (if it is ongoing) to warn the coach and allow the
coach to advise his spectator(s) of the warning and counsel the spectator(s) to
cease immediately.† If such incident
occurs before a match, the referee will similarly warn the coach and instruct
the coach to warn his spectator(s).† If
such incident occurs following a match, the referee will notify the league and
the incident will be considered an initial incident for purposes of the
offending teamís next game.

A repeat offense occurring during the same
match will be cause for stoppage of the match, at the sole discretion of
the referee, and thereupon the team associated with the offending spectator(s)
will forfeit the match.† Such team must
immediately provide the name(s) of the abusive spectator(s) to the
referee.† If the team refuses to do so,
it will be suspended immediately from all GAASA matches until the offending
person(s) is identified in writing to the President of GAASA.

A second incident of abuse occurring at a
future match by the same offender during the same season
will result in suspension of the player associated with such person for the
remainder of the season, or for the entire next season if the incident occurs
during the last match of the season.† An
automatic fine of $100 will be imposed on that teamís parent club.

A third incident of abuse occurring at a future
match by any spectator(s) from the same team during the same
season will result in suspension of that team for the remainder of the
season, or for the entire next season if the incident occurs during the last
match of the season.† An automatic fine
of $200 will also be imposed on that teamís parent club.

The league will maintain records of spectator
offenses from season to season.

Coaches and Players

Current rules concerning yellow/red card
procedures apply.

Referees

Upon any initial incident of verbal abuse
by a referee directed towards any player, coach or other spectator, the coach
observing the behavior shall report it to the league using the game report
system.† The league will notify the
referee of the report, and caution the referee against any future similar
conduct.

A second incident of abuse occurring at a
future match by the same referee during the same season
will result in suspension of the referee from officiating league games for the remainder
of the season, or for the entire next season if the incident occurs during the
last match of the season.

The league will maintain records of referee
offenses from season to season.

†††††† GAME
AND FIELD REGULATIONS

(Alphabetical
Order)

GAASA games are played under FIFA Laws of the
Game as modified by these local rules.

THE REFEREE IS THE ULTIMATE AND FINAL AUTHORITY
AS TO WHO MAY OR MAY NOT PARTICIPATE, SUITABILITY OF A FIELD FOR PLAY, AND
ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS OF THE GAME.†
NEITHER THE REFEREE'S JUDGMENT NOR HIS RULINGS MAY BE CHALLENGED OR
APPEALED AT THE FIELD OF PLAY.

†††††††††††

EMERGENCY
GAME CANCELLATION DUE TO FIELD SHUTDOWN

GAASA recognizes the fact that the majority of
clubs do not have the final say over the use of their fields.† The Board of Education or the Parks &
Recreation Division within their community controls most fields.† In the event that a field is shut down by
one of the above due to inclement weather the following steps must be taken:

3.After receiving the call from the Administrative
Assistant, the Division Commissioner will notify the opposing teams.

4.† †††††† The Administrative Assistant will notify
the referee assignor so that the referee may be

canceled.

5.† †††††† All reschedules must be handled according
to the schedule/reschedule policy as defined.

6.† †††††† Any club that fails to report by 6:00
p.m. will result in the following:†

†a) Said club being responsible for any and
all referee fees and

†b) Said club's rescheduled game will
automatically be rescheduled to opposing teams

field.†

FIELD
PREPARATION

It is the responsibility of the HOME TEAM to
have the field in proper condition for regular season and post-season
games.† The field must be properly
marked to the satisfaction of the referee.†
This includes lined, nets and corner flags.† In the absence of nets or a properly prepared field, the referee
has the right to suspend the game with the home team forfeiting by a score of
0-6.

Plastic traffic cones (minimum of 2 feet tall),
regulation corner flags (on posts with a minimum height of 5 feet, with rounded
tops), or spring loaded corner flags must be positioned at the corners of the
field for games.† Corner arcs must be
marked.

It is the responsibility of the VISITING TEAM to
arrive on time at the field, early enough to allow the referee to check in the
players before the scheduled start of the game.† GAASA allows a 15-minute grace period only to allow teams to
correct field preparation problems and for late arrival of teams and officials.

The Home team coach/players will choose their
side of the field; the Opposing team coach/players will take the same side of
the field as the home team coach/players (tournament format).† All spectators are to take the opposite side
of the field from the players.†

Only the referee can decide the playability of a
field due to weather conditions or line marking only.

GAME
REPORTS

Game Reports are to be filed on an
EXCEPTION-ONLY basis, i.e., in the event of a situation (notably good or bad)
requiring the attention of the league.†
Referee judgment shall not be challenged in any way.† Forms are available on the GAASA Web Site.

Game Reports Forms must be used to report each
referee no-show for which the club expects a refund or credit of referee
fees.† In the event a club official is
used to replace a referee, his name, address and phone number must be shown in
order for GAASA to reimburse him/her. These forms are available on the GAASA
website.

GAME
ROSTER FORMS

Each coach MUST give the referee a game
roster for each match, following the same form as the official GAASA Game
Roster Sheet, before the start of the game, and this roster will be checked
against player passes.† At a minimum, the game roster must show club,
team name, and team number for both home and visiting teams; game
date and game number from your official schedule; league division;
your coach's name, full mailing address including zip code, and home
phone number; and for each player:

Official forms are available from the GAASA
SoccerWorks software.† A pre-printed
form with written information is also acceptable.

PLAYER
EQUIPMENT

All players except the goalkeeper must wear like-colored
jerseys with a permanently attached number for identification.† Each goalkeeper must wear a shirt different
in color from either team.† Goalkeepers
do not need permanently affixed numbers.†
In case of a conflict in the color of team jerseys, it is the
responsibility of the HOME TEAM to change to an alternate color.† If the home team must change colors, the
alternate shirts do not need numbers so long as the original numbered jerseys
are worn underneath.

Warm-ups, compression shorts (sliders, bicycle
pants), or long pants may be worn during a game ONLY if they are the same color
as the uniform shorts, and then only with the approval of the referee.† This option is not at the discretion of
either team coach.

Casts and other support equipment such a braces
must be padded and covered in such a way as to not be dangerous to another
player.† It is at the complete
discretion of the referee as to whether or not a player may participate while
wearing casts, braces or anything else other than the approved uniform.† There is no appeal on each individual
decision of each referee; the fact that one referee permitted the item in one
game shall not be grounds for approval of the item in a different game.

All players are required to wear SHIN GUARDS in
GAASA games at all times.† The cleats on
soccer shoes and their condition are at the discretion of the referee.† Shoes designed for other sports including
baseball, football and rugby shoes are not allowed.† Referees should not allow cleats that could potentially injure
another player.† Cleats that are sharp
or otherwise dangerous should not be allowed.

PLAYER
PASSES

All players must have a validated player pass at
the field in order to play.† Coaches
will be required to have passes.†
Referees will not permit players to play without a pass, and will not
permit teams to start a match unless a coach with a pass is present.† A team using, or attempting to use, a player
or coach who does not have a valid pass will forfeit the game by a score of
0-6.† Any attempt to use another
person's pass will be dealt with harshly with a minimum suspension of 1 game or
more for the coach, the entire team and/or the club.

REFEREE
FEES

Referee fees will be paid by GAASA from the
funds that were deposited by each club and/or team at registration.† Therefore, no money is to be paid to the
referee on the field prior to the start of the game by anyone.† In the event of a referee no-show, a game
report must be filed and your commissioner must be notified.† This will generate either a reschedule
(Competitive Divisions ONLY) or a refund or credit of referee fees at next
season's registration.

LOCAL MODIFICATIONS

TO THE FIFA LAWS OF THE GAME

(Alphabetical order)

ALL-STAR
PROGRAM

GAASA operates a league-wide youth All-Star
program.† Each youth coach is required
to nominate at least three players from their own team or may elect to have his
own players elect three players from their team.† You must report these nominations to your division commissioner after
the sixth game of each season.† Any
Clubís team(s) that fails to send players to the All-Star Game will be assessed
$40.00 per team at the next registration.

AWARDS

Awards, if any, will only be distributed through
GAASA Playoffs. The awards offered for any individual season and their rate of
distribution will be detailed in the Playoff Handout for the current
season.† Playoff rules and schedules are
posted on the GAASA Web Site at least one month prior to each playoff.

†††††††††††

BREAKAWAYS
AND "PROFESSIONAL" FOULS

Referees are required by the FIFA Laws to deal
harshly with fouls against the game...fouls, which are intended to replace
soccer skill with brute force.† In
particular, referees are required to issue red cards to any players who
intentionally commit so-called "professional" defensive fouls, no
matter how forcefully, in order to stop play of the game, and/or breakaways,
when there is a clear scoring opportunity.

CERTIFICATE
OF INSURANCE

Many entities that own or control your fields
(park boards, school boards, etc.) may require a certificate of insurance
before they will allow you to play or practice.† The purpose of this document is to prove that you belong to an
organization that carries sufficient liability insurance, and to add the name
of the entity that owns your field to the coverage.

Any GAASA club or team may obtain a certificate
of insurance by directly contacting Ohio Youth Soccer--North, P.O. Box 367,
Richfield, OH 44286, phone 330-659-0989, and FAX number 330-659-0993.† Kay Catlett is Executive Director of OYSA-N,
and the street address is 4615 W. Streetsboro Road, Richfield, OH 44286.† Insurance certificates for field of adult
play may be obtained by contacting the GAASA Senior Vice President, or Dick
Rogers, member of the OSA-N at 216-382-8114.

CORNER
KICKS

All GAASA divisions are to take long corner
kicks.

GAME
BALL

The HOME TEAM is responsible to supply a
suitable game ball, which must be acceptable to the referee.†

All U9, U10, U11, U12 will use a Size 4
ball.† All other divisions including
Adult teams will use a Size 5 ball.

GAME
SCHEDULING & RESCHEDULING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

As has been league policy for previous seasons,
teams will be allowed two exceptions for dates that they will not be available
for league play (tournaments, school functions, etc).† These exceptions must be listed on your team wavier at
registration.† Only two exceptions will
be accepted.† Competition in the State
Cup Tournament takes precedence over league games, and teams must be excused to
participate.† Teams should indicate
their intention to participate in State Cup (The Sam Bothwell Memorial
Tournament) at registration so they can be given a bye on the weekend of the
regional qualifying tournament.† Teams
qualifying for State Cup finals will be rescheduled on an as-needed basis.

Additionally, there will be space provided for
individuals who are listed as the head coach of two teams to list said
teams.† Some effort will then be made by
the league to provide a schedule that will allow the coach to perform his/her
duties with a minimum of conflicts.†
With respect to actual game rescheduling, the following policies and
procedures are now in effect:

Once the preliminary schedule has been made
available to the membership, any game reschedules that are asked for (omitted
from the team waiver) that are not the result of an error on the part of the
league will be assessed a $10.00 processing fee.† One week is provided for these changes to be made.

The following steps are to be taken once the
week has passed and the final schedule is generated:†

∑Only two reschedules will be granted in addition
to any previous reschedules and they must be asked for at least one week prior
to the original game date.†

∑The team requesting the change is to contact
their opponent and settle on a mutually acceptable date. †

∑The team requesting the change will then notify
the commissioner of the division, who will in turn notify the League's
Administrative Assistant, Jeff Blazeff.†

∑The fees for these reschedules are $30.00 for
the first one and $50.00 for the second.†
These fees are to be mailed to the attention of JEFF BLAZEFF, 2215
Canterbury Circle, Akron, OH† 44319 and
the check made payable to GAASA.†

∑Any reschedule fees not received will be billed
to the club after the season or at the next registration.† The club is ultimately responsible for
reschedule fees incurred by their coaches.

∑No reschedules will be granted during the last
seven days of the regular season under the above conditions.†

Please keep in mind that these policies do not
relate to reschedules due to weather or referee no-shows. Very infrequently,
the U.S. National Team or U.S. Olympic Team may play a match in the area.† Teams wishing to attend such matches will be
given a reschedule on an as-needed basis.

All efforts will be made to reschedule all games
that are terminated prior to the start of the second half as a result of bad
weather conditions and/or darkness.† Any
requests for reschedules of this nature must be called in to your division
commissioner no more than 48 hours after the originally scheduled game. Both
coaches must agree upon all rescheduled games and the rescheduled game must
take place within 14 days of the original scheduled game. In the event that a
date and time cannot be agreed upon within the 14-day period, scheduling of said
game will be made by the appropriate youth or senior VP or the Administrative
Assistant.† Any team which fails to show
for said reschedule will automatically forfeit by a 0-6 score.

Any unexcused team which fails to show up for
play or fields less than seven players by the expiration of the grace period
forfeits by a 0-6 score.† There is no
reschedule for team no-shows.

Any team(s) that reschedules a game without the permission
of the league will result in both teams double-forfeiting by a score of 0-0 (NO
POINTS) as well as a forfeit of both club bonds.†

There
will also be an automatic 4-game suspension for both coaches involved.If a club bond is revoked,
the bond must be replenished within five (5) days from the time the club is
notified.† Failure to replenish the club
bond within the five (5) days will result in all scheduled games, or all teams,
or said club being recorded as a forfeit from the time of notification until
such time as the club bond is replenished.†
Coaches who reschedule games on their own must be made aware that if the
game is not sanctioned by the league, the insurance provided by OYSA-N and
OSA-N will not be in effect.† This opens
up possible litigation to the coach, the club, and the league.† DONíT DO IT.

GRACE
PERIOD

A grace period of 15 minutes beyond the
scheduled game time will be allowed in order for:

∑Either team to field a minimum of seven players
(U12-Adult teams) or six players for U9-11 teams)

∑To allow the referee to arrive

∑To allow the home team to complete or correct field
preparation

The penalty for failure to properly prepare a
field is forfeiture by the home team by a 0-6 score.† The failure of one or the other teams to field 7 players for U12
age teams and up or 6 players for U9 through U11 age teams by the expiration of
the grace period shall be penalized by forfeiture of the match by the
late/no-show team by a 0-6 score.

INSURANCE
& INSURANCE CLAIMS

By virtue of affiliation and registration with
the Ohio Youth Soccer Association--North, Ohio Soccer--North (the senior body),
and through them, US Youth Soccer and the United States Soccer Federation, the
Greater Akron Amateur Soccer Association has both liability and secondary
coverage medical insurance for every player, coach, club officer and league
official.

There are certain rules, used to monitor and
control coverage and/or claims, which pertain to insurance.

Adult Divisions pay for secondary coverage
medical insurance through OSA-N.†
Secondary coverage means the insurance pays only after your own medical
insurance (usually through work) has paid the portion of the cost for which it
is responsible.† If you do not have your
own coverage, then OSA-N or OYSA-N coverage becomes primary and will cover your
costs except for a deductible.†

To file an adult player claim, the injured
player must contact Dick Rogers at Ohio Soccer-North, phone 216-382-8114 as
soon as possible following the injury.

TIMES ARE THE SAME FOR BOYS AND GIRLS GAMES IN
ALL DIVISIONS AND AT ALL LEVELS.† TIMES
ARE THE SAME FOR MEN'S AND WOMEN'S GAMES IN ALL DIVISIONS AND AT ALL LEVELS.

MINIMUM
NUMBER OF PLAYERS

Seven players constitute the minimum number
needed by each team to start a match for U12 age teams and up; six players
constitutes the minimum number needed by each team for U9, U10 or U11 age
teams; in both cases, one player must play as a goalkeeper.† The referee shall start the match as soon
after the scheduled time as possible whenever both teams can field at least the
required number of players.† The grace
period shall not be used to allow a team to wait for full eleven players.

OFFICIAL
GAME

Any game abandoned PRIOR to the start of the
second half, no matter what the reason, other than behavior problems, will not
be considered official.† GAASA will make
a determination whether or not the game will be replayed.† Any game abandoned after the start (kickoff)
of the second half will be considered official if abandoned due to weather or
safety, and the score at that time will be reported as the official score.† Any game abandoned by the referee after the
second half kickoff for other reasons (such as lack of discipline) will be
reported to GAASA, which will make the final determination as to the outcome,
and final score of the game based on the referee's report.

OVERTIME

Overtimes of any form are not permitted to break
ties in any divisions during the regular season.† This rule is intended to keep field schedules on time;
nevertheless, there shall be no overtime even if only one game is scheduled on
the field.† Games tied at the end of
regulation time shall be recorded as tie games in the standings, and each team
will receive one point towards the Playoffs.†
Overtime may be used in the Playoffs.†
See the Playoffs Handout for the overtime procedure used this season.

PLAYING
FIELDS

A soccer field is considered dimensionally
acceptable if it is accepted by GAASA for scheduling.† At any multi-field facility, the home team has the right to
designate which field shall be used for the game no matter what field number is
assigned.† However, only the referee has
the right to determine the acceptability of a field for any given match, and he
may abandon the match or require modifications to the field for reasons of
markings and/or safety.† Each referee
has the right to make this determination for each individual match without
regard to any previous rulings.† The
HOME TEAM is responsible for having the field marked, corners marked and nets
hung by game time.

Goals must be anchored securely to the
ground.† Portable goals may only be used
if they satisfy this requirement.

U9-U10††††††††††

∑The field of play shall be rectangular, its
length being not more than 80 yards nor less than 70 yards and its width not
more than 50 yards nor less than 40 yards.†
The length in all cases shall exceed the width.† USYSA Recommendation: Length: 70 yards,
Width 50 yards

∑Goal: 7 feet high and 21 feet wide

U11††††

∑GAASA Field dimension recommendation: 60í x 80í

∑Goal: 7 feet high and 21 feet wide

U12-U19, Open, Senior M/W††

∑The field of play must be rectangular.† The length of the touchline must be greater
than the length of the goal line.†
Length Minimum 100 yards, Maximum 130 yards. Width Minimum 50 yards,
Maximum 100 yards.

∑Goal: 8 feet high and 8 yards wide

PLAYOFF
INFORMATION

GAASA conducts Playoffs in all classic and open
divisions.† Youth playoffs are conducted
in a single-site, tournament-style format.†
The Senior Vice President arranges open division playoffs.

The winner of the Playoffs determines each
competitive division champion, not by finishing first in the regular
season.† The team that finishes first in
regular season will also receive and award.†
The purpose of the regular season is to qualify teams for the Playoffs
and determine the seeding used in the tournament.

The method of qualifying for the Playoffs and
the conduct is complex and varies within each division based on the number of
teams that enter the league each season.†
For that reason, a separate handout is prepared each season detailing
how, when and where the Playoffs will be conducted.† This handout will also detail the qualification criteria for each
division that season.† This information
will be posted on the GAASA Web site about 1 month prior to the playoffs.

Every competitive team that enters GAASA has an
obligation to compete in the Playoffs if qualified.† However, GAASA also recognizes the fact that teams may make a
commitment to participate in another tournament before they know for certain
that they have qualified for the GAASA Playoffs.† Therefore, teams may be excused from the Playoffs if they notify
the GAASA Board in writing and/or through the division commissioner at least 2
weeks prior to the date of that season's Playoffs.† If a team is excused, all teams below them in the regular season
standings move up one place for purposes of playoff seeding.

If a team qualifies, fails to get an excuse, and
still does not take part in the Playoffs, the club forfeits its club bond that
must be replenished to current standards at the next registration.

DETAILED
RULES ADDRESSING ALL THESE ISSUES ARE AVAILABLE AT MONTHLY GAASA MEETINGS.

POSSIBLE
METHODS TO CONTROL THE SCORE

When the margin reaches +6 in any match, the
referee may remind the winning coach of the GAASA policy, but the referee has
no authority to force coaches to adopt one of the following:

1 -- Switch players around to different
positions

2 -- Establish a minimum number of touches by
the team, and/or by each player.

3 -- Pull one or more players off the field
until some parity between the teams is achieved.

4 -- Limit players from the winning team to the
defensive half of the field.

REPORTING
SCORES TO THE MEDIA

Only the Administrative Assistant of GAASA is
authorized to report league game scores or details to the media under any
circumstances.† Any reporting of game
scores or details to the media which results in a game score being reported by
more than the 6-goal margin limit will result in the same disciplinary actions
outlined above, and additional disciplinary action against the team which may
include forfeiting the match in question by a 0-6 score.†

Currently scores are reported to the Akron
Beacon Journal and the West Side Leader.

REVIEW

Matters, including the conduct of officials,
brought to the attention of GAASA, will be subject to review or submission to
the Referee Association for review, but remedies will never include changing
the result of a match.

SLIDE
TACKLING

Slide tackling is not allowed in the Senior
Women, Senior Men Over-30 Divisions, or Senior Men Over 40.

STANDINGS

In the competitive (Classic and Open) divisions,
standings are used to determine Playoff eligibility.† Standings are determined based on points with 3 points awarded
for each win, 1 point awarded for each tie, and no (0) points awarded for each
loss.† For the rules governing ties in
the standings and other Playoff matters, see the Playoff Handout for this
season.

STATE
CUP

Every youth team in good standing with GAASA and
OYSA-N, which has maintained a legal roster throughout the seasonal year, is
entitled to enter the Snickers or Sam Bothwell Memorial State Cup Tournament
which determines OYSA-N state champions each spring.† Every club is provided a copy of the State Cup entry form with
its registration packet in January.†
Contact your club president or club representative for an entry form if
your team wishes to play in the state tournament.† There are multiple levels of play and GAASA will give your team a
bye from league play in order to participate in the state tournament.

SUBSTITUTIONS

The referee must authorize all substitutions by
making a direct and unmistakable sign to the coach that he has permission to
substitute.† Play will not begin until
all players leaving the game are off the field.

Substitution, in all levels of play, is allowed
with permission:

††††††††††† *Prior
to a throw-in in your team's favor

††††††††††† *Prior
to a goal kick by either team

*At any injury
time-out, limited to one-for-one, with both teams permitted to make a
one-for-one substitution

††††††††††† *After
a goal is scored by either team

††††††††††† *When
a player has been cautioned (only the yellow-carded† player may be replaced)

††††††††††† *At
half time

TEAM
PROMOTION & RELEGATION

GAASA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MOVE ANY TEAM WITHIN
ITS AGE GROUP AS REQUIRED FOR THE PURPOSE OF BALANCING DIVISIONS OR FOR
SCHEDULING, AND TO SUB-DIVIDE DIVISIONS AND/OR LEVELS TO BALANCE THE NUMBER OF
TEAMS, AVOID BYES AND MID-WEEK GAMES, OR FOR ANY OTHER REASON.

The team movement policy allows coaches and/or
clubs to request placement in specific divisions to meet their own team
development goals, but also to allows the Executive Board to preserve the
balance of each division and smooth out scheduling.† The final decision on placing a team in a division always rests
with the GAASA Executive Board and may not be challenged or appealed.

Every team which finishes first or second in its
division during the regular season or Playoffs may be promoted by the Executive
Board, assuming there is room in the higher division after the number of teams
entering that age group is divided evenly by the number of divisions.† Every team that finishes last, and/or fails
to win a game, may be relegated to the next lower division the following season,
again assuming room.†

Teams that finish first in the regular season or
Playoffs in the highest division, in an age group, may request to play up in
the next higher age group in one of the lower divisions.† The Executive Board will not force the
champion of the highest division in an age group to move up to the next older
group, however.

GAASA assumes every team is the same from one
season to the next, especially within a seasonal year.† GAASA rules permit no more than four
transfers within the seasonal year from fall season to spring season, and
therefore teams should be roughly the same in the spring as they were in the
fall.† Coaches should note that it is
illegal, under national rules, to force a player off a team roster unless he 1)
moves too far away to participate with that team, 2) is injured to such an
extent that he can no longer participate, or 3) is suspended by league, state
or national authorities for a length of time exceeding the seasonal year.

However, some teams do disband or change due to
player participation in other sports.†
GAASA will take this into consideration if you let us know at
registration.† However, if a team is
roughly 65% the same from one season to the next, GAASA will treat this as an
unchanged team regardless of the ability of the players who have come or
gone.†

TOURNAMENTS
AND TRAVEL

Teams and players affiliated with GAASA are
eligible to travel and play teams from other affiliated leagues, either in
friendly games or in tournaments.† The
weekly publication Soccer America publishes a monthly list of soccer
tournaments held throughout the United States and Canada, plus the major
international events.† It is important
to note that USYSA players and teams are expressly forbidden from playing in
other leagues, games or events not affiliated with USSF or USYSA--you may be
suspended from GAASA for breaking this rule!

There are many tournaments held throughout
Ohio-North, our USYSA State Association.†
These tournaments and the Snickers State Cup Tournament do not require
travel permits from the state offices.†
All other tournaments held outside Ohio-North boundaries, except the
National Youth Championship, do require a travel permit.† If your team wishes to enter a tournament,
please make sure you check with GAASA to make certain you have kept your team
legal by state and national standards throughout the seasonal year.† Then obtain a blank Permission To Travel
form from the league registrar or the state office.†††

Follow the instructions for preparing the Travel
Permit, submit it to the State Office: Ohio Youth Soccer--North, P.O. Box 367,
Richfield, OH 44286, phone 330-659-0989, FAX number 330-659-0993.† Kay Catlett is Executive Director of OYSA-N,
and the street address is 4615 W. Streetsboro Road, Richfield, OH 44286.† Make sure you get it back approved before
leaving for your tournament.† No
sanctioned tournament will permit you take part without a travel permit and
your league player passes.

YELLOW AND RED CARD POLICY AND OTHER
DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

In GAASA, players and coaches can receive red
and yellow cards.† Two yellow cards
equal a red card and an ejection from the match.† Ejected players or coaches must leave the area immediately.† The referee has the authority to issue both
red and yellow cards from the time he arrives at the field to the time he
leaves it.† The referee never has to
warn a player or a coach before issuing either yellow or red cards.† Generally, cards will be shown, but it is
not necessary for the referee to show the card in order for disciplinary action
to be taken.

The Disciplinary Committee will monitor yellow
Card reports.† Disciplinary action may
be taken, with or without warning, against habitual and repeat offenders.† Such action may include phone calls from the
Disciplinary Committee to the participant, coach or club officers, letters of
warning or reprimand, and/or summons to a disciplinary hearing.† However, it is never necessary for any of
these actions, or any other form of warning, to occur before stronger
disciplinary action can be instigated when deemed necessary by the Disciplinary
Committee or the Executive Board.

The GAASA Disciplinary Committee will handle Red
Cards.† The coach of the team to which
the coach or player was registered will be notified of the committee decision
in about 2 weeks or less after the red card report has been received by the
committee from the Referee Liaison.†

This policy means the player or coach will serve
a minimum suspension of however many games occur within this time frame because
the league will have the Player Pass throughout the disciplinary/appeal
process, and, "no pass, no play".†

Note that every disciplinary action for various
Red Card infractions stated in the GAASA Constitution, Bylaws, and elsewhere,
is always stated as minimum.† You may be
suspended for many more games than the stated minimum, and the Disciplinary
Committee has the power and authority to suspend any participant, including
spectators, for up to 99 years.† Every
Red Card will be evaluated on an individual basis and there is no appeal to
precedent.† Player Passes will be held
by the Disciplinary Committee and returned to the team coach upon the
completion of the suspension.

In the event a coach is red-carded, the club
president and the coach will be notified.†
If the coach fails to heed the disciplinary action handed out, the team
will be barred from further participation for the season, and sterner measures
may be taken.† This could cause the team
forfeit policy and/or club bond forfeit policy to automatically be invoked. †The club officers will also be held
accountable for further actions within the team.

It is the responsibility of the coach to insure
sportsmanlike conduct of players, spectators and guests on and off the field of
play, all players and guests on his sideline, as well as any spectators and
guests who are there for his team no matter which side they are on.† A coach can receive a red card as a result
of the actions of spectators, players, or anyone on his sidelines or related to
his team in any capacity.† There is no
room in soccer for fighting, unnecessary rough play, or harassment of any kind
by or towards any player, coach, spectator or referee.

The coach's Game Report is the ONLY vehicle to
use to express problems concerning a match, including dissatisfaction with the
performance (not the judgment) of the referee.†
Red cards issued by a referee for harassment or unsportsmanlike conduct
directed at the referee will be dealt with harshly.

PROTESTS AND APPEALS

PROTESTS

1 -- ALL protests for any corrective and/or
disciplinary action must be submitted in writing in a timely fashion to GAASA

2 -- The GAASA Disciplinary Committee shall deal
with all protests.

3 -- Protests shall be written in triplicate:
One copy for the opposing team; one copy mailed with a protest fee of $25.00 to
the Executive Vice President within 48 hours after the date of the game and/or
incident; retain the final copy yourself.

4 -- The protest fees shall be returned ONLY if
the protest is upheld.

5 -- The referee's judgment(s) with regard to
the physical condition of the field, its acceptance for play, to the actual
happenings and occurrences related to the conduct of the match and those
prerogatives granted him by the FIFA Laws of the Game SHALL NOT BE CHALLENGED.

APPEALS

1 -- Before there can be an appeal, there must
first be a ruling.† Only Disciplinary
Committee and Executive Board rulings may be appealed.† Decisions of a referee can never be appealed.

2 -- Appeals will take place, by invitation
only, at GAASA Executive Board meetings.†
The Executive Board will permit the person appealing, the division
commissioner and witnesses to attend during the time set aside for hearing the
appeal.

3 -- A statement limited to 5-7 minutes from the
person appealing may be heard; witnesses are limited to 5 minutes each; papers
may be presented.

4 -- The total time limit for the appeal is 10
minutes as this is not a hearing, but a request to the Board, for a change in a
decision that has already been made.

5 -- Board members are permitted to ask
questions, limited entirely to the particular matter at hand, not regarding
other charges that may be pending against other persons in the case.

6 -- The result of the findings will be sent to
the person(s) involved within twenty-eight (28) days of the date of the appeal.

INDOOR SOCCER

Indoor soccer is a rapidly growing sport in this
area, and your team may wish to continue playing together indoors between the
fall and spring outdoor seasons.

OYSA-N and GAASA do not sanction or affiliate indoor
soccer or recognize it as an actual soccer activity.† We will not take disciplinary action against players who take
part in indoor soccer activities, but we may take note of such activities when
they may affect team placement, player recruiting, and tryout and transfer
issues.† OYSA-N insurance does not cover
any of your indoor soccer activities, including the play by our Greater Akron
Premier.

OSA-N (the senior body) does affiliate some
local indoor facilities, and their insurance may cover senior players for this
indoor activity.† However, an OSA-N
affiliation does not cover youth players, and every player who is concerned
about insurance issues should check with the building management where they
play to determine the extent of coverage.

OYSA-N rules require that a player leave his
currently rostered team and obtain a release before contacting, trying out for,
or playing on another team.† While these
rules do not prevent a player from playing on an indoor team, since OYSA-N and
GAASA have no jurisdiction over indoor soccer, playing for a different indoor
team than the team to which the player is rostered outdoors could constitute a
tryout with that team.† If that player
should attempt to roster to that new team the following spring, the transfer
could be denied on the basis of the illegal tryout.

The best policy for any players considering a
team switch is to obtain a release at the end of the fall season.† This allows players to try out for new
teams.† Coaches should note that it is
illegal, under national rules, to 1) force a player off a team roster unless he
moves too far away to participate with that team, 2) is injured to such an
extent that he can no longer participate, or 3) is suspended by league, state
or national authorities for a length of time exceeding the seasonal year.† It is also illegal to deny a release to a
player who wishes to leave a team, regardless of the reason.

If you have any questions about indoor soccer,
please consult a GAASA Executive Board member before you take a chance on
breaking any of our rules.

See our website www.gaasa.org
for the names of the current Executive Board as well as up-to-date information.